Symphony No. 2 and Symphony No. 3: Difference between pages

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Tchaikovsky's '''''Symphony No. 2''''' in C minor, [[Op.]] 17 ([[TH]] 25 ; [[ČW]] 22) was composed and orchestrated between June and November 1872 (with minor alterations in February or March 1873), and extensively revised in December 1879 and January 1880.
Tchaikovsky's '''''Symphony No. 3''''' in D major, [[Op.]] 29 ([[TH]] 26 ; [[ČW]] 23), was composed and orchestrated between June and August 1875. It is his only symphony in a major key, and to have five movements <ref name="note1"/>.
 
The work's popular (but unofficial) designation as the '''''Little-Russian Symphony''''' (Малороссиская симфония) appears to have been coined by the critic [[Nikolay Kashkin]], on the basis that it included several folk-tunes from the Ukraine region, which was then colloquially known as “Little Russia” <ref name="note1"/>.


==Instrumentation==
==Instrumentation==
The Symphony is scored for an orchestra comprising piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in B-flat, C), 2 bassoons + 4 horns (in F), 2 trumpets (in C), 3 trombones, tuba + 3 timpani, cymbals, bass drum, tam tam + violins I, violins II, violas, cellos, and double basses.
The Symphony is scored for an orchestra comprising piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in A, B-flat), 2 bassoons + 4 horns (in F), 2 trumpets (in F), 3 trombones, tuba + 3 timpani + violins I, violins II, violas, cellos, and double basses.


==Movements and Duration==
==Movements and Duration==
There are four movements:
There are five movements:
{|
|'''Revised version''' (1879-80):
<ol style="list-style-type: upper-roman;">
<li>Andante sostenuto — Allegro vivo (C minor, 368 bars)</li>
<li>Andantino marziale, quasi Moderato (E-flat major, 179 bars)</li>
<li>''Scherzo''. Allegro molto vivace (C minor, 482 bars)</li>
<li>''Finale''. Moderato assai — Allegro vivo (C major, 847 bars)</li>
</ol>
| '''Original version''' (1872-73):
<ol style="list-style-type: upper-roman;">
<ol style="list-style-type: upper-roman;">
<li>Andante sostenuto — Allegro commodo (C minor, 486 bars) <ref name="note2"/></li>
<li>''Introduzione e Allegro''. Moderato assai (Tempo di marcia funebre) (D minor) — Allegro brillante (D major) (472 bars)</li>
<li>Andantino marciale (E-flat major, 179 bars)</li>
<li>''Alla tedesca''. Allegro moderato e semplice (B-flat major, 289 bars)</li>
<li>''Scherzo''. Allegro molto vivace (C minor, 481 bars)</li>
<li>''Andante''. Andante elegiaco (D minor, 182 bars)</li>
<li>''Finale''. Moderato assai — Allegro vivo (C major, 993 bars)</li>
<li>''Scherzo''. Allegro vivo (B minor, 439 bars)</li>
<li>''Finale''. Allegro con fuoco (Tempo di polacca) (D major, 350 bars) <ref name="note2"/></li>
</ol>
</ol>
|}
A complete performance lasts around 45 to 50 minutes.
The revised version of the symphony lasts approximately 30 to 35 minutes in performance. The original version is around five minutes longer <ref name="note45"/>.


==Composition==
==Composition==
===Original Version (1872-73)===
At the end of May/start of June 1875, after the [[Moscow]] Conservatory examinations, Tchaikovsky left for his friend [[Vladimir Shilovsky]]'s estate at [[Usovo]], where on 5/17 June he began to make the first sketches of the Symphony. The title page of the fair copy of the full score has the note: "Begun 5 June 1875 at [[Usovo]]. Finished 1 August 1875 at [[Verbovka]]".
: ''To hear a virtual performance of the symphony's original version, see "[[First Thoughts]]".
None of Tchaikovsky's surviving letters refer to his intention to compose his Second Symphony, nor are there any surviving drafts or sketches. According to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], the composer set about composition in June 1872 at [[Kamenka]] <ref name="note3"/>. Tchaikovsky left [[Moscow]] for [[Kamenka]] on 31 May/12 June, and stayed there until 2/14 July. From 6/18–10/22 July he stayed at [[Nizy]], and on 20 July/1 August he arrived at [[Usovo]], where he remained until 14/26 August <ref name="note4"/>. At [[Usovo]], Tchaikovsky resumed work on the Symphony and finished the rough sketches <ref name="note5"/>.
 
The orchestration of the Symphony was apparently begun in September 1872 while the composer was in [[Moscow]] <ref name="note6"/>.


The first references to the Symphony begin to appear in Tchaikovsky's letters from November 1872. On 2/14 November, he wrote to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]]: "My conscience is tormenting me for not writing to you — but what can I do when the symphony, which I'm finishing off, has engrossed me so deeply that I'm not able to do anything else. The writing of this work of genius (as [[Nikolay Kondratyev|Nikolay Dmitryevich Kondratyev]] calls my symphony) is nearing its end, and as soon as the parts are ready it will be performed. I think this is my best creation, in terms of perfection of form — a quality which I've hitherto failed to achieve" <ref name="note7"/>.
Tchaikovsky referred to the composition of the Symphony in one of his letters to [[Aleksey]] and [[Mikhail Sofronov]]: "I am now composing a new symphony, but am taking it steadily, not spending all my time on it, and taking long walks" <ref name="note3"/>.


On 15/27 November in a letter to [[Ivan Klimenko]], Tchaikovsky reported that he had been "frantically busy with the instrumentation of my new symphony, which I am already finishing and copying out...". In the same letter he gave his opinion of the new work: "... I don't think it would be proper for me to start boasting about how pleased I am with it" <ref name="note8"/>.
On 20 June/2 July the rough sketches of the Symphony were completed <ref name="note4"/>, and Tchaikovsky left [[Usovo]].


On 22 November/4 December 1872, the composer wrote to [[Ilya Tchaikovsky]]: "I've been slaving over my new symphony, which is now, thank God, finished... Having finished the symphony, I'm now resting" <ref name="note9"/>.
At [[Nikolay Kondratyev]]'s estate in [[Nizy]], Tchaikovsky started to orchestrate the Symphony. And so on 8/20 July 1875 he wrote to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] from [[Nizy]]: "I'm sorry for writing so little; I'm terribly tired from work (scoring the symphony)" <ref name="note5"/>. Judging by the dates of completion found at the end of each movement on the fair copy of the manuscript, the first to be orchestrated was the fifth movement, at the end of which is written "9 July 1875. [[Nizy]]"; then, the fourth movement — "13 July 1875. [[Nizy]]".


Following the first performance on 26 January/7 February 1873, Tchaikovsky made some alterations to the Symphony, in which form it was heard in another concert on 27 March/8 April the same year (see below).
On 14/26 July, Tchaikovsky left [[Nizy]] for [[Verbovka]], where he arrived on 17–18 July <ref name="note6"/>. Here the composer continued to orchestrate the Symphony, i.e. the first, second and third movements, with noting at the end of each movement its date of completion: the first movement — "26 July 1875. ''[[Verbovka]]''"; the second movement — "28 July 1875. ''[[Verbovka]]''"; the third movement — "31 July 1875. ''[[Verbovka]]''".


===Revised Version (1879-80)===
The full score was completed on 1/13 August, according to a note at the top of the title page of the manuscript. On 14/26 August, in a letter to [[Sergey Taneyev]], Tchaikovsky reported: "The symphony has been written. It was composed in Tambov province, orchestrated partly at Sumy <ref name="note7"/> and partly here. It is written in D major, and consists of five movements" <ref name="note8"/>.
In 1879 Tchaikovsky's thoughts turned to a more fundamental revision of his old work: "Earlier I went through the whole of my Second Symphony, to which I want to make some fundamental changes", he wrote to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] from [[Paris]]on 19 November/1 December 1879 <ref name="note10"/>. He reported his intentions at length to [[Nadezhda von Meck]]: "I am engaged in reviewing the symphony, and have found parts of it to be so poor that I have made up my mind to rewrite the first and third movements, to alter the second, and just to shorten the last. And so if all goes well in [[Rome]], I should turn this immature and mediocre symphony into a good one" <ref name="note11"/>.


Tchaikovsky began this process on 18/30 December, while in [[Rome]], and on the same day: "Succeeded in writing in rough almost half of the first movement" <ref name="note12"/>.
Before the score was published in December 1876, it appears that Tchaikovsky made some cuts in the Finale, which in the autograph score is 36 bars longer than in the printed edition <ref name="note9"/>.
 
By 21 December 1879/2 January 1880 the rough sketches had been completed, and only the copying out remained <ref name="note13"/>.
 
Writing to [[Sergey Taneyev]], Tchaikovsky set forth a detailed account of all his changes: "The first movement I have written afresh, except for the introduction and coda, which remain as before. The first theme of the Allegro is different, but the previous first theme has been turned into the second. This movement is now more compact, shorter and not so difficult <ref name="note14"/>. If anything deserves the epithet impossible, then it's this first movement in its original form. My God, it's so difficult, noisy, disjointed and confused! The Andante is left unchanged <ref name="note15"/>. The Scherzo is radically altered <ref name="note16"/>. The Finale has received a huge cut <ref name="note17"/>, that is to say, after the big pedal point before the recapitulation of the first theme at the end of the development, I have jumped straight to the second [theme] ... All this is almost completely ready" <ref name="note18"/>.
 
==Arrangements==
"When I was in [[Petersburg]] I played the finale one evening at [[Rimsky-Korsakov]]'s, and the whole company almost tore me to pieces with rapture, and Mrs [[Korsakova]] begged me in tears to let her arrange it for four hands", Tchaikovsky proudly told his brother [[Modest]] in February 1873 <ref name="note19"/>.
 
When his publisher, [[Vasily Bessel]], raised the question of arranging the Symphony for piano duet, Tchaikovsky replied: "Regarding the symphony, I believe it would be best if Mrs [[Korsakova]] took it upon herself to make the arrangement. With the exception of [[Laroche]], I cannot think of anyone else who could do this well, apart from me" — the composer wrote to [[Bessel]] on 21 April/3 May 1873 — "I dislike this task, but in extreme circumstances I would do it myself, so long as you don't want me to finish it ''all'' by the summer" <ref name="note20"/>. However, due to ill health, [[Nadezhda Rimskaya-Korsakova]] withdrew, and Tchaikovsky made the arrangement himself.
 
On 16/28 May 1873, the composer told [[Bessel]] that he was working on the arrangement of the first movement <ref name="note21"/>. On 25 May/6 June, he sent this arrangement to [[Bessel]]. In an accompanying letter, he asked that [[Nadezhda Rimskaya-Korsakova]] should review it and, if necessary, make corrections. Burdened by work on the arrangement, Tchaikovsky asked [[Bessel]] to entrust the remaining movements to [[Nikolay Hubert]] <ref name="note22"/>. On 25 May/6 June, Tchaikovsky left [[Moscow]], and did not return until late August/early September. On 3/15 September he told [[Bessel]]: "I received the symphony, and immediately started work on the arrangement, which I shall be forwarding to you soon" <ref name="note23"/>.
 
After revising the Symphony at the end of 1879, In a letter to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] of 4/16 January 1880, Tchaikovsky told [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] that he had made a piano duet arrangement of the new version. In the same letter he said: "Now I can say, hand on heart, that the symphony is a good work" <ref name="note24"/>.


==Performances==
==Performances==
The first performance of the Symphony No. 2 was scheduled for 11/23 January 1873 <ref name="note25"/>. Because of the death on 9/21 January of the patron of the Russian Musical Society, the [[Grand Duchess Yelena Pavlovna]], the symphony concert was postponed, and the Second Symphony was performed for the first time in [[Moscow]] at the seventh Russian Musical Society concert on 26 January/7 February 1873, conducted by [[Nikolay Rubinstein]]. Tchaikovsky shared his impressions of the concert with his [[Ilya Tchaikovsky|father]]: "My symphony was performed here last week with great success; there were many calls for me and bursts of applause. The success was so great that it will be played again at the tenth symphony concert, for which they are already taking subscriptions to present me with a gift. Moreover, the Musical Society gave me 300 silver rubles in royalties for performing the symphony" <ref name="note26"/>.
The first performance of the Third Symphony, at which the author was present, took place in [[Moscow]] on 7/19 November 1875, at the first symphony concert of the Russian Musical Society, conducted by [[Nikolay Rubinstein]]. After its performance Tchaikovsky wrote to [[Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov]]: "As far as I can tell, this symphony does not have any particularly successful new ideas, but in terms of craftsmanship it is a step forward. I am most pleased with the 1st movement and with both scherzos, of which the second is difficult and was played not nearly as well as would have been possible if there had been more rehearsals. The thing is that our rehearsals last only 2 hours; it is true that there are three of them but what can you do in two hours? However, I was satisfied with the general performance." <ref name="note10"/>.
 
To [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] the composer wrote: "Regarding my symphony, you probably know from the papers; it would be boasting to say that it had great success, and in particular ''The Crane'' [the main theme of the finale] had flattering reviews. The credit for its success I do not ascribe to myself, but to the true composer of the work  — ''[[Pyotr Kozidub|Pyotr Gerasimovich]]'' <ref name="note27"/>, who all the time I was composing and playing through ''The Crane'', constantly came up to me and hummed: <ref name="note28"/>.
 
[[File:0289 ex1.jpg|center|400px]]
 
In a letter to [[Vladimir Stasov]] of 27 January/8 February 1873, Tchaikovsky wrote: "Yesterday, at last, my symphony was performed, and had great success, so great that [[Nikolay Rubinstein|Rubinstein]] wants to perform it once more, owing to public demand. To tell the truth, I am not particularly satisfied with the first three movements, but ''The Crane'' itself has not come out too badly... I want to make some changes to the orchestral detail" <ref name="note29"/>. Later he wrote to [[Vasily Bessel]]: "I'm now making a few minor adjustments to it" <ref name="note30"/>.
 
The Second Symphony was heard in its new form at the tenth concert of the Russian Musical Society in [[Moscow]] on 27 March/8 April 1873, conducted by [[Nikolay Rubinstein]], "still with great success", according to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]]. The changes made to the orchestration of the Symphony were "intended to enhance it. The author was applauded for some time after each movement, and at the end was presented with a laurel wreath and a silver tankard" <ref name="note31"/>.
 
The [[Saint Petersburg]] premiere took place at the first Russian Musical Society concert on 23 February/7 March 1874, conducted by [[Eduard Nápravník]]. The Symphony No. 2 was also performed in [[Pavlovsk]] on 16/28 July 1874, conducted by Venyamin Bilz, and the Andante and finale only were played at the [[Hanover]] Music Festival on 8/20 May 1877, with Franz Fischer conducting <ref name="note49"/>.


Following its more extensive revisions in December 1879 and January 1880, the reworked Second Symphony was performed on 31 January/12 February 1881 at the tenth RMS concert in [[Saint Petersburg]], conducted by [[Eduard Nápravník]], to great acclaim <ref name="note32"/>. In [[Moscow]], the first performance of the Symphony in its new version took place on 21 November/3 December 1881 at the fourth RMS symphony concert, conducted by [[Karl Zike]] <ref name="note33"/>. Other notable early performances included:
In [[Saint Petersburg]], the Third Symphony was performed for the first time on 24 January/5 February 1876, at the fifth symphony concert of the Russian Musical Society, conducted by [[Eduard Nápravník]], also in the presence of the author. Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother [[Modest]]: "My symphony fared very well, and had appreciable success. I was called for and roundly applauded" <ref name="note11"/>.


* [[New York]], Steinway Hall, Symphony Society concert, 25 November/7 December 1883, conducted by [[Leopold Damrosch]]
Other notable early performances were:
* [[Kiev]], 1st Russian Musical Society concert, 16/28 December 1885, conducted by [[Josef Přibík]]
* [[New York]], Academy of Music, Philharmonic Society concert, 27 January/8 February 1879, conducted by Adolf Neuendorf
* [[Kharkov]], Russian Musical Society concert, 14/26 March 1893, conducted by Tchaikovsky
* [[Kharkov]], 2nd Russian Musical Society symphony concert, 14/26 November 1893, conducted by [[Ilya Slatin]]
* Bournemouth, Winter Gardens, 20 September/2 October 1899, conducted by Dan Godfrey
* [[London]], Crystal Palace, 20 February/4 March 1899, conducted by August Manns
* [[London]], Queen's Hall, 21 August/3 September 1902, conducted by Henry Wood
* Liverpool, Philharmonic Society Concert, 7/20 November 1900, conducted by Frederick Cowen.
 
After Tchaikovsky's death the original version of the Symphony was reconstructed by Ivan Shorning from the surviving orchestral parts, and it was performed in this form at a Russian Musical Society concert in [[Moscow]] on 6/18 January 1896 <ref name="note34"/>. The conductor on this occasion was [[Sergey Taneyev]], who much preferred the earlier version:
 
{{quote|I've been looking over the two scores — the new, printed by [[Bessel]], and the former, compiled from the orchestral parts. My God, what a difference! How good the former Allegro is, despite some imperfections — rambling modulations which it would be better off without, but a beautiful first theme, and a melodious, graceful second. How weak by comparison this new allegro is! A poor first theme comprising many repetitions of a three-note motif: an even less interesting second theme worked in as counter-melody to part of the original first theme; a little bit of the original allegro artificially stuck into the new one in order to preserve fragments of the original development section; all this is manufactured without any definite scheme... The finale, with the exception of one large cut, remains in its earlier form <ref name="note35"/>.}}


==Publication==
==Publication==
[[Vasily Bessel]] in [[Saint Petersburg]] made an offer to print the Symphony for Tchaikovsky, which the composer accepted, and the composer's arrangement for piano duet was published by [[Bessel]] in November 1873 (plates 380-383, 111 pages). In October, Tchaikovsky corrected the proofs, and on 28 November/10 December he wrote to [[Bessel]]: "I've received the symphony; it is printed very well — apart from a few misprints; it's a pity you had to do it in such a rush" <ref name="note36"/>.
The symphony was published by [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] in [[Moscow]], with August Cranz in [[Hamburg]] acting as his European agent:
* Orchestral parts. Plate 2983, 25 parts (December 1876) <ref name="note14"/>
* Full score. Plate 2982, 162 pages (January 1877) <ref name="note14"/>
* Arrangement for piano 4 hands ([[Eduard Langer]]). Plate 2984, 101 pages (April 1877) <ref name="note16"/>
* Arrangement for solo piano (Max Lippold). Plate 26190, 72 pages (1901) <ref name="note15"/>
* Arrangement for 2 pianos 8 hands ([[Eduard Langer]]). Plate 27753, 93 pages (1902?)
* Arrangement of 2nd movement for 2 pianos 8 hands (Sergey Lyapunov). Plate 28483, 15 pages (1903) <ref name="note17"/>
Editions published after around 1900 were described as "Seconde édition revue et corrigée", but retained the same plate and page numbers.  


However, [[Bessel]] was not in such a hurry to print the full score. In 1875 Tchaikovsky asked him: "Do you intend to print the full score of my Second Symphony?... I should be offended if you do not do this" <ref name="note37"/>. However, the score was still not printed.
The full score of the Symphony was published in volume 16А of Tchaikovsky's ''[[Complete Collected Works]]'', edited by Pavel Berlinsky (1949).
 
After revising the work some years later, Tchaikovsky was grateful for this delay. He wrote to [[Nadezhda von Meck]]: "I gave it in 1872 to [[Bessel]] on condition that he printed the full score of the symphony. Over the course of seven years he has deceived me, always claiming that the full score would soon be ready, although it had not even been engraved. I was very angry — but in fact his dishonesty had done me a good turn!" <ref name="note38"/>. In another letter he told her: "How thankful I am that for many years my publisher [[Bessel]] evaded publishing the full score. If he had done so, it would have been impossible to reprint it, and my poor symphony would have been left in its primitive form" <ref name="note39"/>.
 
At the beginning of 1881 the revised score of the Second Symphony was finally published by [[Bessel]]:
* Full score. Plate 379, 179 pages (1881) <ref name="note46"/>
* Arrangement for piano 4 hands (Tchaikovsky). Plate 380, 91 pages (1881) <ref name="note48"/>
* Orchestral parts. Plates 381a-381z, 26 parts (1881) <ref name="note46"/>
* Arrangement for solo piano by (Aleksandr Schaefer). Plate 5035, 47 pages (1901) <ref name="note47"/>.
 
The full score and Tchaikovsky's piano duet arrangement of the Symphony, were published in volumes 15Б (1954) and volume 47 (1956) respectively of Tchaikovsky's ''[[Complete Collected Works]]'', edited by Semyon Bogatyrov. Both the original and the revised versions of the scores are included.


==Autographs==
==Autographs==
The full score of the original version of the Symphony was deliberately destroyed by Tchaikovsky in 1880, as he informed [[Eduard Nápravník]] in September 1880: "The Second Symphony can only be performed in its new form, as I have destroyed the old score" <ref name="note41"/>. He also told [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] that he had “burned the old score, and if [[Bessel]] is pig-headed then he will get neither the old nor the new [version]. If there's any dispute, I don't think he would take it into his head to reconstruct the destroyed full score from the parts, which are kept in the library of the [Russian] Musical Society” <ref name="note42"/>.
Tchaikovsky's autograph score is now preserved in the {{RUS-Mcm}} in [[Moscow]] {{TOW2|simfoniya-no-3|(ф. 88, No. 57)}}.
 
The whereabouts of the autograph full score and the composer's piano duet arrangement of the revised version are unknown. However, Tchaikovsky's arrangement of the Symphony's first version for piano duet is preserved in the {{RUS-Mcm}} in [[Moscow]] {{TOW2|simfoniya-no-2-1-ya-redakciya|(ф. 88, No. 56)}}.


==Recordings==
==Recordings==
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==Dedication==
==Dedication==
The Second Symphony is dedicated to the [[Moscow]] section of the Russian Musical Society, who awarded 300 rubles to Tchaikovsky for its first performance.
Tchaikovsky dedicated his Symphony No. 3 to [[Vladimir Shilovsky]] (1852–1893), on whose estate at [[Usovo]] the work was composed.


==Related Works==
==Related Works==
The opening theme of the Symphony's first movement is a variant of the Ukrainian folk-tune 'Down by Mother Volga' (Вниз по матушке по Волге) <ref name="note43"/>. Tchaikovsky also harmonized this tune in May 1872 as No. 17 in Set 1 of [[Mariya Mamontova]]'s Collection of [[Children's Songs on Russian and Ukrainian Tunes (Mamontova)|Children's Songs on Russian and Ukrainian Tunes]].
For the trio section of the Scherzo of the Symphony, Tchaikovsky borrowed from his [[Cantata for the Opening of the Polytechnic Exhibition]] (1872) <ref name="note13"/>.  
 
According to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] and [[Nikolay Kashkin]] the main theme of the second movement was based on music for the wedding procession of Huldbrand and Berthalda from Act III of Tchaikovsky's 1869 opera ''[[Undina]]'' <ref name="note44"/>. The central section of this movement is the Russian song 'Keep on Spinning, My Spinner' (Пряди, моя пряха).


The main theme of the Finale is the Ukrainian folk-song 'The Crane' (Та внадыся журавель), although it differs slightly the version which Tchaikovsky harmonised in May 1872 as No. 18 in Set 1 of [[Mariya Mamontova]]'s [[Children's Songs on Russian and Ukrainian Tunes (Mamontova)|Children's Songs on Russian and Ukrainian Tunes]]. The same tune was also used in the Scherzo of the unfinished [[Symphony in E-flat major]] (1892).
In 1891 an abridged version of the Symphony's ''Alla tedesca'' (without the central section) was used by the composer as an entr'acte (Act II, No. 5) in his incidental music to ''[[Hamlet (incidental music)|Hamlet]]'' (1891).


==External Links==
==External Links==
* {{imslpscore|Symphony_No.2,_Op.17_(Tchaikovsky,_Pyotr)|Symphony No. 2}}
* {{imslpscore|Symphony_No.3,_Op.29_(Tchaikovsky,_Pyotr)|Symphony No. 3}}


==Notes and References==
==Notes and References==
<references>
<references>
<ref name="note1">See [[Nikolay Kashkin]], {{bib|1896/17|Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском}} (1896), p. 94.</ref>
<ref name="note1">The Symphony is sometimes referred to as the 'Polish', after the 'Tempo di polacca' marking of the Finale.</ref>
<ref name="note2">In the printed edition of Tchaikovsky's piano duet arrangement, the main section of this movement is marked only "Allegro", and this indication is missing altogether from the autograph score of the arrangement.</ref>
<ref name="note2">The tempo markings for some movements differ on the title page of Tchaikovsky's autograph score: I. Introduzione e Allegro brillante; II. Andante elegioso; V. Allegro con fuoco (Alla Pollaca) [''sic''].</ref>
<ref name="note3">{{bib|1900/35|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1900), p. 379.</ref>
<ref name="note3">[[Letter 405]] to [[Aleksey]] and [[Mikhail Sofronov]], 19 June/1 July 1875.</ref>  
<ref name="note4">See [[Letter 270]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 17/29–18/30 July 1872; [[Letter 269]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 16/28 July 1872; [[Letter 1177]] to [[Vladimir Shilovsky]], 10/22 May 1879.</ref>
<ref name="note4">See [[Letter 409]] to [[Sergey Taneyev]], 14/26 August 1875.</ref>  
<ref name="note5">{{bib|1900/35|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1900), p. 392.</ref>
<ref name="note5">[[Letter 408]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 8/20 July 1875.</ref>  
<ref name="note6">See letters [[Letter 273|273]] and [[Letter 274|274]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 2/14 September and 4/16 September 1872.</ref>
<ref name="note6">See [[Letter 409]] to [[Sergey Taneyev]], 14/26 August 1875.</ref>  
<ref name="note7">[[Letter 275]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 2/14 November 1872.</ref>
<ref name="note7">Sumy was the district in which [[Nizy]] was situated.</ref>
<ref name="note8">[[Letter 276]] to [[Ivan Klimenko]], 15/27 November 1872.</ref>  
<ref name="note8">See [[Letter 409]] to [[Sergey Taneyev]], 14/26 August 1875.</ref>  
<ref name="note9">[[Letter 277]] to [[Ilya Tchaikovsky]], 22 November/4 December 1872.</ref>  
<ref name="note9">With 6 extra bars after bar 110, 14 bars after bar 176, and 16 bars after bar 255. To listen to a reconstruction of the uncut version of the finale, see ''[[First Thoughts]]''.</ref>
<ref name="note10">[[Letter 1345]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 19 November/1 December 1879.</ref>  
<ref name="note10">[[Letter 417]] to [[Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov]], 12/24 November 1875.</ref>  
<ref name="note11">[[Letter 1366]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 3/15 December 1879.</ref>  
<ref name="note11">[[Letter 442]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 28 January/9 February 1876.</ref>
<ref name="note12">[[Letter 1381]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 16/28 December–18/30 December 1879.</ref>  
<ref name="note13">The motif from the final part of the cantata's introduction (Allegro vivo) and from the tenor solo («Ужели вновь бороться и страдать»).</ref>
<ref name="note13">[[Letter 1386]] to [[Vasily Bessel]], 21 December 1879/2 January 1880.</ref>  
<ref name="note14">Advertised by Cranz in the March 1877 edition of Hofmeister's ''Musikalisch-literarischer Monatsbericht'' (p. 54), and by [[Jurgenson]] in the October 1877 edition of the same journal (p. 278).</ref>
<ref name="note14">The second version of the first movement is 119 bars shorter than its predecessor, with a new first subject in the Allegro vivo, and a second which combined elements of both themes from the original Allegro comodo. Only bars 1–52, 158–183 and 303–370 of this movement. were preserved from the 1872 version, with variations in scoring, phrasing and dynamic markings.</ref>
<ref name="note15">Advertised by Cranz in the October 1901 edition of Hofmeister's ''Musikalisch-literarischer Monatsbericht'' (p. 550).</ref>
<ref name="note15">In fact the tempo marking of this movement was altered from 'Andante' to 'Andantino'.</ref>
<ref name="note16">Advertised by Cranz in the December 1877 edition of Hofmeister's ''Musikalisch-literarischer Monatsbericht'' (p. 346).</ref>
<ref name="note16">The changes mostly involved alterations to the instrumentation, and variations in repeated sections.</ref>
<ref name="note17">Advertised by Cranz in the September 1903 edition of Hofmeister's ''Musikalisch-literarischer Monatsbericht'' (p. 451).</ref>
<ref name="note17">In the new version of the finale, 147 bars were cut after bar 508, representing the entire recapitulation of the first subject.</ref>
<ref name="note18">[[Letter 1396]] to [[Sergey Taneyev]], 4/16 January 1880; see also [[Letter 1386]] to [[Vasily Bessel]], 21 December 1879/2 January 1880, and [[Letter 1397]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 4/16 January 1880.</ref>  
<ref name="note19">[[Letter 289]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 13/25 February 1873.</ref>  
<ref name="note20">[[Letter 299]] to [[Vasily Bessel]], 21 April/3 May 1873.</ref>
<ref name="note21">[[Letter 308]] to [[Vasily Bessel]], 16/28 May 1873.</ref>
<ref name="note22">See [[Letter 312]] to [[Vasily Bessel]], 24 May/5 June 1873.</ref>
<ref name="note23">[[Letter 317]] to [[Vasily Bessel]], 3/15 September 1873.</ref>
<ref name="note24">[[Letter 1397]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 4/16 January 1880.</ref>
<ref name="note25">See [[Letter 285]] to [[Aleksandra Davydova]], 9/21 January 1873.</ref>
<ref name="note26">[[Letter 288]] to [[Ilya Tchaikovsky]], 5/17 February 1873.</ref>  
<ref name="note27">[[Pyotr Kozidub|Pyotr Gerasimovich Kozidub]], the old steward at the Davydovs' estate at [[Kamenka]].</ref>
<ref name="note28">[[Letter 289]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 13/25 February 1873.</ref>
<ref name="note29">[[Letter 287]] to [[Vladimir Stasov]], 27 January/8 February 1873.</ref>
<ref name="note30">[[Letter 290]] to [[Vasily Bessel]], 21 February/5 March 1873.</ref>
<ref name="note31">{{bib|1900/35|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1900), p. 401.</ref>
<ref name="note32">See [[Letter 1671]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 27 January/8 February–1/13 February 1881. In many sources [[Karl Zike]] is erroneously credited as the conductor on this occasion; however, see https://dlib.rsl.ru/viewer/01003763764#?page=140 </ref>  
<ref name="note33">See letter from [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] to Tchaikovsky of 21 November/3 December 1881 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.</ref>
<ref name="note34">In the late 1940s Professor Semyon Bogatyryov rediscovered Shorning's reconstruction, which appears to have been forgotten, in the library of the [[Moscow]] Conservatory. This version of the Symphony was heard again for the first time in many years on 21 April 1950, by a student symphony orchestra, conducted by Professor Mikhail Terian, in the Grand Hall of the [[Moscow]] State Conservatory.</ref>
<ref name="note35">Letter from [[Sergey Taneyev]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 15/27 December 1898 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.</ref>
<ref name="note36">[[Letter 326]] to [[Vasily Bessel]], 28 November/10 December 1873.</ref>
<ref name="note37">[[Letter 396]] to [[Vasily Bessel]], 22 March/3 April 1875.</ref>
<ref name="note38">[[Letter 1366]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 3/15 December 1879.</ref>
<ref name="note39">[[Letter 1381]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 18/30 December 1879.</ref>
<ref name="note41">[[Letter 1586]] to [[Eduard Nápravník]], 12/24 September 1880.</ref>
<ref name="note42">[[Letter 1404]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 11/23 January 1880. In fact such a reconstruction was made in the late 1890s after Tchaikovsky's death, by Ivan Shorning, librarian at the [[Moscow]] Conservatory, from the orchestral parts held at the conservatory. Shorning's manuscript of his reconstruction is preserved in the conservatory's library (No. Б I 1867).</ref>
<ref name="note43">[[Nikolay Kashkin]], {{bib|1896/17|Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском}} (1896), p. 109.</ref>
<ref name="note44">See {{bib|1900/35|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1900), p. 416, and {{bib|1896/17|Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском}} (1896), p. 87.</ref>
<ref name="note45">The handwritten parts of the original version, which are now preserved in the library of the [[Moscow]] Conservatory, give the timings of the movements as they were originally performed: 17 minutes (movt. I), 7 minutes (movt. II), 4 minutes (movt. III) and 11 minutes (movt. IV).</ref>
<ref name="note46">Advertised by [[Bessel]] in the March 1881 edition of Hofmeister's ''Musikalisch-literarischer Monatsbericht'' (p. 50).</ref>
<ref name="note47">Advertised by [[Bessel]] in the December 1901 edition of Hofmeister's ''Musikalisch-literarischer Monatsbericht'' (p. 676).</ref>
<ref name="note48">Advertised by [[Bessel]] in the March 1881 edition of Hofmeister's ''Musikalisch-literarischer Monatsbericht'' (p. 56).</ref>
<ref name="note49">See the review in ''Musikalisches Wochenblatt'' (1 June 1877), p. 329.</ref>
</references>
</references>
[[Category:Symphonies]]
[[Category:Symphonies]]

Revision as of 11:31, 11 May 2021

Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29 (TH 26 ; ČW 23), was composed and orchestrated between June and August 1875. It is his only symphony in a major key, and to have five movements [1].

Instrumentation

The Symphony is scored for an orchestra comprising piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in A, B-flat), 2 bassoons + 4 horns (in F), 2 trumpets (in F), 3 trombones, tuba + 3 timpani + violins I, violins II, violas, cellos, and double basses.

Movements and Duration

There are five movements:

  1. Introduzione e Allegro. Moderato assai (Tempo di marcia funebre) (D minor) — Allegro brillante (D major) (472 bars)
  2. Alla tedesca. Allegro moderato e semplice (B-flat major, 289 bars)
  3. Andante. Andante elegiaco (D minor, 182 bars)
  4. Scherzo. Allegro vivo (B minor, 439 bars)
  5. Finale. Allegro con fuoco (Tempo di polacca) (D major, 350 bars) [2]

A complete performance lasts around 45 to 50 minutes.

Composition

At the end of May/start of June 1875, after the Moscow Conservatory examinations, Tchaikovsky left for his friend Vladimir Shilovsky's estate at Usovo, where on 5/17 June he began to make the first sketches of the Symphony. The title page of the fair copy of the full score has the note: "Begun 5 June 1875 at Usovo. Finished 1 August 1875 at Verbovka".

Tchaikovsky referred to the composition of the Symphony in one of his letters to Aleksey and Mikhail Sofronov: "I am now composing a new symphony, but am taking it steadily, not spending all my time on it, and taking long walks" [3].

On 20 June/2 July the rough sketches of the Symphony were completed [4], and Tchaikovsky left Usovo.

At Nikolay Kondratyev's estate in Nizy, Tchaikovsky started to orchestrate the Symphony. And so on 8/20 July 1875 he wrote to Pyotr Jurgenson from Nizy: "I'm sorry for writing so little; I'm terribly tired from work (scoring the symphony)" [5]. Judging by the dates of completion found at the end of each movement on the fair copy of the manuscript, the first to be orchestrated was the fifth movement, at the end of which is written "9 July 1875. Nizy"; then, the fourth movement — "13 July 1875. Nizy".

On 14/26 July, Tchaikovsky left Nizy for Verbovka, where he arrived on 17–18 July [6]. Here the composer continued to orchestrate the Symphony, i.e. the first, second and third movements, with noting at the end of each movement its date of completion: the first movement — "26 July 1875. Verbovka"; the second movement — "28 July 1875. Verbovka"; the third movement — "31 July 1875. Verbovka".

The full score was completed on 1/13 August, according to a note at the top of the title page of the manuscript. On 14/26 August, in a letter to Sergey Taneyev, Tchaikovsky reported: "The symphony has been written. It was composed in Tambov province, orchestrated partly at Sumy [7] and partly here. It is written in D major, and consists of five movements" [8].

Before the score was published in December 1876, it appears that Tchaikovsky made some cuts in the Finale, which in the autograph score is 36 bars longer than in the printed edition [9].

Performances

The first performance of the Third Symphony, at which the author was present, took place in Moscow on 7/19 November 1875, at the first symphony concert of the Russian Musical Society, conducted by Nikolay Rubinstein. After its performance Tchaikovsky wrote to Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov: "As far as I can tell, this symphony does not have any particularly successful new ideas, but in terms of craftsmanship it is a step forward. I am most pleased with the 1st movement and with both scherzos, of which the second is difficult and was played not nearly as well as would have been possible if there had been more rehearsals. The thing is that our rehearsals last only 2 hours; it is true that there are three of them but what can you do in two hours? However, I was satisfied with the general performance." [10].

In Saint Petersburg, the Third Symphony was performed for the first time on 24 January/5 February 1876, at the fifth symphony concert of the Russian Musical Society, conducted by Eduard Nápravník, also in the presence of the author. Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother Modest: "My symphony fared very well, and had appreciable success. I was called for and roundly applauded" [11].

Other notable early performances were:

  • New York, Academy of Music, Philharmonic Society concert, 27 January/8 February 1879, conducted by Adolf Neuendorf
  • Kharkov, 2nd Russian Musical Society symphony concert, 14/26 November 1893, conducted by Ilya Slatin
  • London, Crystal Palace, 20 February/4 March 1899, conducted by August Manns
  • Liverpool, Philharmonic Society Concert, 7/20 November 1900, conducted by Frederick Cowen.

Publication

The symphony was published by Pyotr Jurgenson in Moscow, with August Cranz in Hamburg acting as his European agent:

  • Orchestral parts. Plate 2983, 25 parts (December 1876) [12]
  • Full score. Plate 2982, 162 pages (January 1877) [12]
  • Arrangement for piano 4 hands (Eduard Langer). Plate 2984, 101 pages (April 1877) [13]
  • Arrangement for solo piano (Max Lippold). Plate 26190, 72 pages (1901) [14]
  • Arrangement for 2 pianos 8 hands (Eduard Langer). Plate 27753, 93 pages (1902?)
  • Arrangement of 2nd movement for 2 pianos 8 hands (Sergey Lyapunov). Plate 28483, 15 pages (1903) [15]

Editions published after around 1900 were described as "Seconde édition revue et corrigée", but retained the same plate and page numbers.

The full score of the Symphony was published in volume 16А of Tchaikovsky's Complete Collected Works, edited by Pavel Berlinsky (1949).

Autographs

Tchaikovsky's autograph score is now preserved in the Russian National Museum of Music in Moscow (ф. 88, No. 57) [view].

Recordings

See: Discography

Dedication

Tchaikovsky dedicated his Symphony No. 3 to Vladimir Shilovsky (1852–1893), on whose estate at Usovo the work was composed.

Related Works

For the trio section of the Scherzo of the Symphony, Tchaikovsky borrowed from his Cantata for the Opening of the Polytechnic Exhibition (1872) [16].

In 1891 an abridged version of the Symphony's Alla tedesca (without the central section) was used by the composer as an entr'acte (Act II, No. 5) in his incidental music to Hamlet (1891).

External Links

Notes and References

  1. ↑ The Symphony is sometimes referred to as the 'Polish', after the 'Tempo di polacca' marking of the Finale.
  2. ↑ The tempo markings for some movements differ on the title page of Tchaikovsky's autograph score: I. Introduzione e Allegro brillante; II. Andante elegioso; V. Allegro con fuoco (Alla Pollaca) [sic].
  3. ↑ Letter 405 to Aleksey and Mikhail Sofronov, 19 June/1 July 1875.
  4. ↑ See Letter 409 to Sergey Taneyev, 14/26 August 1875.
  5. ↑ Letter 408 to Pyotr Jurgenson, 8/20 July 1875.
  6. ↑ See Letter 409 to Sergey Taneyev, 14/26 August 1875.
  7. ↑ Sumy was the district in which Nizy was situated.
  8. ↑ See Letter 409 to Sergey Taneyev, 14/26 August 1875.
  9. ↑ With 6 extra bars after bar 110, 14 bars after bar 176, and 16 bars after bar 255. To listen to a reconstruction of the uncut version of the finale, see First Thoughts.
  10. ↑ Letter 417 to Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, 12/24 November 1875.
  11. ↑ Letter 442 to Modest Tchaikovsky, 28 January/9 February 1876.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Advertised by Cranz in the March 1877 edition of Hofmeister's Musikalisch-literarischer Monatsbericht (p. 54), and by Jurgenson in the October 1877 edition of the same journal (p. 278).
  13. ↑ Advertised by Cranz in the December 1877 edition of Hofmeister's Musikalisch-literarischer Monatsbericht (p. 346).
  14. ↑ Advertised by Cranz in the October 1901 edition of Hofmeister's Musikalisch-literarischer Monatsbericht (p. 550).
  15. ↑ Advertised by Cranz in the September 1903 edition of Hofmeister's Musikalisch-literarischer Monatsbericht (p. 451).
  16. ↑ The motif from the final part of the cantata's introduction (Allegro vivo) and from the tenor solo («Ужели вновь бороться и страдать»).
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